Gilmore Car Museum Honors First Female Cross-Country Drive

Written by Auction News

A LOOK INTO THE PASTNEW ALICE RAMSEY EXHIBIT

Gilmore Car Museum honors Alice Ramsey, the first women to drivecross-country in an automobile.

Hickory Corners, MI

One of the newest exhibits at the Gilmore Car Museum, in Hickory Corners,MI., honors the role Alice Ramsey had in automotive history as the firstwoman to drive across the country. From the time the automobile firstappeared in the United States in the late 1890s, several only dreamt ofmaking a transcontinental trip in the “new fangled contraption.” With lessthan 150 miles of paved roads in the entire nation-most of which werelocated in the east-and the horse and buggy being the norm oftransportation, a cross country trip didn’t seem like a realistic endeavor.That was, until 1903 when Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, on a whim and afifty-dollar bet, started his journey across the Untied States. DepartingSan Francisco in a 20 horsepower Winton Touring car, Jackson enduredunpredictable weather, getting lost, flat tires, and non-existent roads.Sixty-three days later, he arrived in New York City, making Jackson thefirst person to successfully drive an automobile across the country.

In 1909, the Maxwell Motor Company challenged 22-year old Alice Ramsey, ahousewife and mother from Hackensack, NJ., to repeat Jackson’s recordbreaking trip in an effort to persuade more American women to take updriving. Alice accepted the challenge and on June 9th, 1909, she and threewoman companions-none of whom drove-left New York in a Maxwell touring carand headed for San Francisco.

Up until this time, only two-dozen automobiles-all of which had been drivenby men-had successfully made the drive across the nation since Jackson’sinfamous 1903 trip. At that time, women were discouraged from driving,suggesting that simply riding in a car was dangerous for them. Some doctorsactually warned of “Automobile Face,” which was said to cause a perpetuallyopened mouth, resulting in sinus trouble. Ramsey was determined to provethem wrong. Fifty-nine days and 3,800 miles later, she and her team arrivedin San Francisco, making Alice the first woman to drive across the UnitedStates.

The Gilmore Car Museum is celebrating this historic event with its newestexhibit, which recreates a scene from an original 1909 photo offering aglimpse into the driving conditions and hardships that early automotivepioneers faced. The life-sized diorama depicts Alice Ramsey and hertraveling companions as they dealt with a broken axle on their 1909 Maxwell.Museum Advisory Committee member and author of “The Kalamazoo Automobilist,”David Lyon and his wife, Jane, first presented the concept for the exhibitlast year and have worked tirelessly to see it come to completion. This newexhibit, funded in part by Kalamazoo Auto Restorers Club, MotorCitiesNational Heritage Area, and AAA of Michigan, provides a unique look atwomen’s role in automotive history. Alice Ramsey’s courage and determinationcertainly inspired countless women, and for that, she holds the honor as thefirst woman inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

“In Utah we hit a prairie dog hole in the road with such force that a tiebolt came out of the tie rod connecting the front wheels. Down went thefront end, wheels spread-eagled, breaking the spring seat over the frontaxle. We had a pilot car with us and driver Frank Irving went back to Orr’sranch where they had a forge and we were able to make temporary repairs. Inspite of everything, we finally made it across Nevada arriving near midnightat the Riverside Hotel in Reno.” Alice Ramsey 1909

The Gilmore Car Museum opens for its 40th season on May 1 and is open dailyfrom of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm and until 6 pm on weekends, through the end ofOctober. Located in the heart of west Michigan, the museum is midway betweenKalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Battle Creek, on M-43 and Hickory Road.

To learn more about the Gilmore Car Museum visit: www.GilmoreCarMuseum.orgor phone 269-671-5089.